A Muggle Holiday
by kaystar742
Summary: Hermione is depressed the first Christmas following the war, as she hasn't been able to restore her parents memories yet. Harry suggests they go on holiday the Muggle way and leave their wands behind for a while. He wants to experience a traditional Christmas and Hermione doesn't want to do anything that will remind her of the family she's missing.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Dr. Seuss's The Grinch, or the poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. I do this for free. __This was written for the Harmony & Co Facebook Page Advent collection. __I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Huge shout out to the folks that Beta read this for me: Sakubato and Mrs. Ren. Any left over mistakes are mine. _

_Also, there is a passing mention of another characters past alcohol abuse. It's not a graphic description but this is your Trigger Warning. So...heads up for that._

* * *

**December 19th.**

Seven months. Seven months two weeks and three days.

It was like a storm cloud following her; or a bright neon sign with the numbers flashing in her face. As she sat in the newly repaired astronomy tower, staring out over the spansive Hogwarts grounds, she signed heavily, her breath visible in the cold December air.

"You really should cast a warming charm at least. You'll catch a cold out here."

Hermione didn't acknowledge the intruder right away. Truth be told, if it wasn't for the puffs of fog her breath was creating, she wouldn't have even registered how cold it was. Well, maybe the fact everything was covered in a blanket of snow was another clue. She had been feeling suffocated in the very halls that had once felt like home and had come up here to get away. She should have realized Harry would come to check on her.

"I just needed some air," she said simply as she continued to look out at the view the tower provided.

Harry sighed and moved to her side. "What's really going on? You've seemed down ever since Hagrid started bringing in the Christmas trees. I thought you loved Christmas?"

"Did you know it's been over seven months since the final battle?" Harry stiffened beside her, but she pushed on, "Seven months, two weeks, and three days. All this time has passed, and my parents still have no idea they have a daughter." Hermione's breath hitched at admitting it out loud. "How could I have not found time in seven months to go to my parents and restore their memories? I'm a terrible person." She finished in a whisper as tears began to spill from her eyes.

Harry pulled her against his chest and just let her cry for a moment, rubbing her back as she let it all out. He was honestly at a loss for words. They had spent the first two months after the battle just laying to rest the fallen. Grave after grave. Head stone after head stone. They built a memorial; that's what took the most time. Every name of those that fought Tom Riddle, down to the last elf, was carefully carved on wide polished sections of dark granite. After much deliberation, the stone was placed just outside the Hogwarts gates that led to Hogsmeade; that way the public had a quiet place to remember their loved ones, pay their respect, or show their gratitude to the brave people that fought the darkness.

After the memorial's unveiling, he and Hermione had jumped right into helping rebuild Hogwarts. It had taken so much damage they were worried Hogwarts wouldn't be ready come September 1st. The volunteers had managed to get the major repairs done and the school was able to accept students on time. However, many volunteers, and even students, could still be seen throughout the day assisting in smaller repairs. The quidditch pitch had only been finished the last week of November, delaying the traditional first match up, Gryffindor versus Slytherin.

Everyone had expected Harry to take Kingsley's offer to join the Auror Academy right away, but after the memorial unveiling… he just couldn't do it. Even Ron had changed his mind and decided to help George out at Weasley Wizard Wheezes. In the end, Harry had decided to stay with Hermione and signed on for the make up year so he could take his NEWTs. Come September, their days were once more filled with classes and continued repair work.

"Hermione, you're not a bad person," Harry finally murmured into her hair as he placed a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm so sorry we haven't gone to retrieve your parents. You say the word and we will skive off school and go get them. Or I can even ask Kingsley if he can spare a team to retrieve them. Tell me how I can help."

Hermione's tears had stopped but she took comfort in Harry's embrace. "That's sweet, Harry, but I should be there when their memories are restored, and we shouldn't leave school. They need us here."

"But what about what you need? You can't pour anything from an empty cup, Mi. The train leaves for the winter hols in a couple days, if you want to spend the two weeks going after your parents we will. McGonagall will understand."

Hermione finally pulled away and wiped her face as she sighed again, "I would love too, but I know it's probably going to take longer to find them. I would hate to start searching, only to get close and have to come back to school, you know?"

Harry nodded keeping one of his arms around her shoulders. "How about I ask Kingsley to pull some strings and locate them for us, so that the second we have some time, we can shoot out there and get them. Until then, we take a holiday of our own. I don't know about you, but I could use a break from this castle."

Hermione chewed her lower lip. "I suppose I could use a break from the castle too," she said, remembering what brought her to the tower.

"Let's take a muggle holiday. Leave our wands behind and disappear until New Years," he suggested.

"Leave our wands? I don't know, Harry."

"We need a break, maybe from magic too. We can take a timed portkey to bring us back."

Harry admired Hermione's profile as she turned over his proposal in her head. After a long minute Hermione turned back to him with a small smile. "Okay, I'm in. A muggle holiday. Let's do it."

Harry cheered and spun her around, eliciting a giggle from her. "Harry Potter, you put me down this instant," she said between laughs.

He set her down with a laugh of his own. "I'll go write a letter to Kings now. You let McGonagall know the new plan and I'll set everything else up. Just leave it to me."

Hermione worried about Harry's abilities to plan a holiday, but agreed nonetheless. It was one less thing she would have to stress about.

After lingering maybe a moment too long in each other's embrace, Hermione asked hesitantly, "Do...Do you think we should invite Ron?"

Harry stiffened once more and some of the levity left his expression. "Do you want me to?" he asked seriously, studying her face.

Hermione and Ron had fizzled out faster than anyone had expected. Their relationship hadn't even made it to the memorial unveiling. They had parted amicably as it was discovered they just weren't well matched romantically, but there was still some lingering awkwardness.

"I..Is it bad if I say no? I think part of me knows it won't be much of a get away if Ron were to come with us. You know how he is…"

Harry seemed to relax as he nodded. "I agree. To be honest, I'd rather not play chess ever again if I can help it."

Hermione grinned at his joke and the friends returned to the warmth of the castle to ready themselves for a little time away. 

**December 21st**

Hermione was right to doubt Harry's holiday planning. An International portkey later, they had arrived in New York. That part wasn't so bad. Hermione had been to the Big Apple when she was about eight years old with her parents. They had even come at Christmas to see Time Square decked out for the holidays.

The problem she was having wasn't with Harry's choice of destination. No. The problem was the broomstick he was holding and urging her join him on. She _hated _flying.

They were currently outside the local American Ministry, where their international portkey had spit them out. After a quick check to assure their passports were in order, the personnel had provided them a departure point outside to take leave to their next destination. This had confused Hermione until she saw Harry pull his Firebolt from the bag she had charmed for him.

"Come on, Hermione. You know I'd never let you fall. I would have gotten a car, but there isn't a road all the way to the place where we're going."

"I thought this was supposed to be a _Muggle _holiday?" She retorted as she gripped the strap of her bag tighter. "Why can't we get there by _Muggle _means?"

Harry sighed. "We can, but its a two mile hike. While that normally wouldn't be too bad, it snowed yesterday. I didn't think you would want to drive there and hike through the snow uphill for two miles."

Hermione considered this, and said stubbornly, "You know, that wouldn't have been a problem if you had let me bring my wand. I could have done warming charms and cleared the path to the door with magic."

"We agreed this would be a vacation from all that. The holiday I promised is just a short broom ride away. Come on, 'Mi, trust me. I swear I won't do any dives or go higher than necessary," Harry reassured her as he held out his hand for her to join him. With fear in her eyes, Hermione hesitantly took Harry's offered hand as he helped her onto the broom in front of him.

"Now, just hold tight to the broom, my arms will be around you the whole time. Try to lean in the same direction I do and try not to lean too much forward, or the broom will speed up," Harry instructed as he put his arms around her and gripped the broom handle right in front of her hands. He pulled them up a bit further in the air until their feet were no longer touching the ground. "Ready? Here we go."

Harry guided the broom higher and the city began to fall away. Giving a quick look to the compass on the tip of the handle, he turned the broom lazily to the right and set off.

After about ten minutes, Harry's warm breath near her ear startled Hermione, "You can open your eyes. You're going to miss all the good views. We just cleared Manhattan if you want to look back."

Hermione shivered involuntarily and realized just how _close _Harry was to her right now. Keeping her eyes shut tight she asked, "How did you know my eyes were shut?" Feeling him chuckle behind her she continued, "I saw the city when I was eight. Just tell me when we are ready to land. Where are we going anyway?"

Harry had refused to give Hermione _any _details about his plans before they had left. All he would say is that he had taken care of everything, pack warm, and make sure her passport was available. Feeling as down as she was about Christmas, she had secretly been hoping he would plan to take her somewhere tropical, with no hint of snow or anything remotely resembling traditional Christmas festivity. Her hopes were dashed when he said to pack warm. Still, she was happy to get out of the castle...If only she were on the _ground_.

"If you'd open your eyes I could show you. There are some pretty historical landmarks around here you might want to see," Harry teased in a sing-song voice.

Hermione sighed frustratedly and peeked from behind her eyelashes. _Holy Merlin_ they were high! Shutting her eyes tight again she said, "I can't. Too high."

Harry shook his head at her but decided to narrate their way along so she didn't completely miss out. "Well, as pretty as the city was, it has nothing on the scenery in front of us. The Hudson river is below us, the banks are covered in snow. If I remember the map right, New Jersey is on our left and New York to the right. The trees almost look like the were dipped in glitter, with the sun hitting them and shining through the ice." Harry quieted for a moment as they sailed along.

"The only thing I see right now that doesn't look frozen are the cars on the motorway and the river. The coolest part are the buildings. The red brick. The stain glass window churches. Even the large red barns with their snow-covered roofs. There are so many neat things to see."

Something occurred to Hermione that made her pop her eyes open, which she immediately regretted. "Harry! We didn't disillusion ourselves! What if the Muggles see us? We'll be spending Christmas in the American slammer!"

"I took care of—Hold on. Did you really just call the jail here 'the slammer'?" Harry asked while trying not to laugh.

Hermione, who had been unable to reshut her eyes was too frozen in terror, or maybe it was awe, to retort back at him. As much as she hated to admit it, Harry was right; It really was an amazing view. _But Holy Hell they were high. _Hermione's hands were losing feeling, either from the cold or from holding the broom in a death grip.

"How much farther?" she asked in a quivering voice.

Harry gave her a squeeze to reassure her. "Maybe ten more minutes, I didn't want to move too fast and scare you. I can just make out the edge of the estate. Not long now."

"I appreciate the gesture, but I really need to be on the ground now. How about I close my eyes again and you go as fast as you think is safe for us and just get me off this broom?"

Harry hesitated. "You sure? It's really not much farther at this speed."

She closed her eyes tight once more she said, "Yes. I'm ready, just get us there."

Hermione didn't feel a change happen right away, but after a few beats, Harry's arms tightened around her and he pressed closer to her, causing them both to lean forward just enough for the Firebolt to pick up speed. She felt the wind whip around her and she swore she could practically hear Harry's smile. Thinking of this even got her to grin herself, momentarily forgetting her terror.

She felt the wind slow just as Harry said, "We're here." He lowered the broom to the ground. She waited until her feet were firmly beneath her before she opened her eyes.

She slid off the broom and immediately rounded on Harry. "I don't know if I should hug you or punch you, Harry Potter! The was absolutely terrifying, but thank heavens you're a competent flyer. I swear, next time I'm doing the hike through the snow. I don't care if it's uphill both ways."

Harry let her run out of steam with an amused expression. When she finished her rant she finally looked around a bit. All she could see was...woods.

"Uh Harry...Where are we?"

Instead of answering, he gripped her shoulders and spun her around. "_That_ is where we're staying."

Hermione's breath caught. Nestled in the wide clearing, Harry had landed them in was a small log cabin with a wrap around deck. She could just make out the smoke swirling lightly from stone chimney. White icicle style Christmas lights hung around the perimeter of the roof, completing the picturesque scene.

"Want to see what's inside?" Harry asked, holding up a set of keys.

Hermione nodded eagerly and they set off for the front door; Harry, stowing his Firebolt back in his bag as they walked.

"How ever did you find this place?" she asked as she admired the carved wood railing surrounding the deck.

Harry barked a laugh. "Actually, Kings owns it. He said we could use it as a thank you."

He paused thinking for a moment and then continued, "Actually, I should say his wife is letting us use the place. She's a writer and I guess she used to spend a few months here every year to get away and work on her books. Apparently this is where he sent his wife during the war. When Dumbledore died, she moved here. She's not the best with a wand and he was worried he wouldn't be able to protect her."

"She wasn't worried she'd be found here?"

"They have pretty special wards, plus, none of Riddle's Death Eaters were ever found in the states. The ministry here comes down pretty hard on the pureblood agenda. I heard even Grindlewald gave up on trying to operate in the states back in the day," he answered with a shrug as he put the key into the lock and opened the door.

They pushed inside and stomped the snow from their boots. Looking around, Hermione immediately loved it, even if it was on the small side. To her left sat a cozy living room with a couch and comfy looking armchairs surrounding the fireplace. The fireplace in question already had a fire burning that looked like it had been started some time ago. A small stack of wood sat in an iron holder with the fire poker hanging on the side. The mantle had a few candles and not much else. A coffee table, standing lamp, and fluffy cream colored rug completed the living room.

The cabin was completely open, no walls separated the living area from the kitchen and dining area. In front of them was a staircase that Hermione assumed would take them up to the bedrooms.

"You want to look around down here or head up and pick our rooms?"

Hermione peered around and said, "Rooms I think. We can drop our bags and look around after."

Harry's face split into a wide mischievous smile. "Race you!" He laughed as he took off toward the open staircase.

Hermione was giggling as she tore off after him. "No fair, Potter! You had a head start!"

In the hallway at the top of the stairs were three doors. The first one Harry pulled open ended up being a storage closet. "Looks like these two must be the rooms. How about we pick a door and that will be our room. No peeking."

"Is this whole trip going to be a string of silly games?" Hermione asked teasingly; the smile the short race had caused still on her lips.

"Maybe. Anyway, pick a door. No peeking!"

She rolled her eyes at his antics and chose the door over the kitchen.

Harry walked over to the other door across from hers. "On three yeah? One. Two. Three!" and he and Hermione both twisted open the doors and peered into their new abodes.

Hermione squealed in delight. The room she had chosen had a huge king sized bed and another door she was sure was the en suite. The bed was piled with pillows and had a thick warm looking quilt spread across it. The thing Hermione was most excited about though, was the wide, low window with a small fainting couch in front of it. The view of the snowy hill behind the cabin was picturesque. After a quick look into the en suite she moved back into the hallway to see how Harry had fared and nearly walked right into him.

"Whoa, Harry! Sorry." She stumbled back a bit off balance and he grabbed her arm to help steady her. Once she was stabilized he slowly dropped his hand.

"Where's the fire?" he joked.

"Hush you. I was just coming to see how you like your room."

Hermione noticed a slight pinched look cross his face before he schooled his expression and grinned. "It's fine. Great even. No tradesies. How about you? Do you love it?"

Hermione eyed him suspiciously but answered him anyway. "The room is quite lovely, the view is amazing."

Harry smiled happily and ushered her back downstairs and into the kitchen. "You hungry at all?"

"Not really, between the portkey and the broom ride I'm not feeling up for food. I'd kill for a cuppa though."

Harry nodded, amused and set about finding the tea. As he moved towards the cupboard he noticed a handwritten note taped to the refrigerator.

_Harry & Hermione,_

_I hope you made it safely and enjoy my little slice of heaven. The kitchen is fully stocked and the bed has been freshly made. If you so choose, the hot tub on the deck in the back is an exquisite experience this time of year. _

_Your nearest neighbors would be the Tremblay family. Martin Tremblay was nice enough to come up and get the fire started for you. If you need anything they are the next house off the road (the bright yellow house, you'll be able to see it from the street.)_

_Harry, I know Kings gave you the low down on the snow mobile but please use caution, it can go really fast. There are trails all over there if there ends up being enough snow to use it. If not, the ATV is under the brown tarp. The keys for both are hanging by the door._

_Above all, the community here is full of the nicest people. I highly recommend checking out all the local festivities. Martin's wife, Charlotte, is usually involved in a number of the holiday planning. I suggest touching base with her to get the low down._

_There is enough wood cut for a couple days but if it stays cold you will need to chop some more. The wood sections are on the side of the house and the ax is in the cargo box next to the wood pile._

_Lastly, I set out some boxes of Christmas decorations. You can buy a tree in town or you're welcome to chop one down (we have a permit, so no worries.) The stand is with the decorations._

_I think that's it! I hope you both have a wonderful holiday. I can't wait to hear all about it when you return. _

_All the best, _

_Mrs. Shacklebolt_

Harry read it carefully and then passed it to Hermione and set back to finding tea. He was just putting the kettle on when Hermione said, "This is going to sound crazy, but do you know Kingsley's wife's name?"

Harry searched his memory for a mention of her but Shack usually called her 'his old lady' or 'the Missus.' "You know, I don't think he's ever told me her name. And when I saw her at the memorial unveiling we didn't talk much. I already knew who she was so we weren't really introduced."

"Me either. I wonder if any of the books she wrote are here…"

A few minutes later they both had steaming mugs in their hands as they took stock of the first floor. The kitchen was a home cook's wet dream. Harry was pretty sure the whole cabin had been designed around the kitchen. The cabinets were a warm cream color and the granite countertops were a deep midnight blue. The double oven, stovetop, fridge, and utility sink were all stainless steel. One side of the counters were also an eat-in-bar, with four pine stools lined up against it. The mahogany hardwood floors carried throughout the entire cabin.

Leaving the kitchen they saw a sliding glass door that led out to the deck. Hermione could make out the snow covered hot tub the letter had mentioned. She shivered just thinking about being out in the cold in a bathing suit.

In the back corner, not far from the sliding glass door, were bookcases. She wondered how she had failed to notice those when they had first walked in. They were the same mahogany as the floor and stretched from the floor to the low ceiling. With two in each wall, they capped the corner. Books were practically spilling from them as it was clear their owner had long ago ran out of space and continued to try and fit in more tomes.

Harry left Hermione to peruse the shelves to put another log and the fire before it died. She joined him on the couch minutes later. "Well, I must admit you did quite well with this place."

"Is that a good job I hear? You know, I'm surprised. You haven't asked where we are since we landed. I expected you to want all the details of my plans."

"You mean there's more than just the cabin?"

Harry couldn't help but laugh. "Of course there's more. I could have found a snowy cabin back in Britain."

Hermione looked at him impatiently when he stopped speaking. "Well? Out with it, you. Where are we? Why here?"

Harry smiled again and decided not to draw it out any further. "We are on the edge of Tarrytown...also known as—"

"Sleepy Hollow," she finished for him.

"How is it you know everything?"

"It was made famous by the writer Washington Irving. Well, actually kind of invented by him. I read Rip Van Winkle years ago. Irving is hailed as the founder of American literature. He's quite famous in the literary world."

"True, the town also makes quite a fuss about Christmas. They have a tree lighting and a bunch of other events. Should be fun."

Hermione saw Harry's excited face and tried not to rain on his parade but…"Harry I'm not sure I want to make a fuss over Christmas this year. I just want to relax and forget everything for a bit. Yeah?"

Harry took Hermione's hand. "Look. I get it's difficult for you to not have your parents here. But you once loved Christmas time. I've never really gotten to experience it and I was hoping we could both really dive into it this year."

Harry looked down at their hands and continued, "All my Christmases were either at Hogwarts or spent in a cupboard pretending I didn't exist. The only Christmas I've had that even came close was that year with Sirius at Grimmauld Place, but even that was a bit wonky. Sirius was stir crazy, the Weasley's were...well, the Weasleys. I love them but they don't really shout traditional Christmas. Maybe that was traditional for wizards..but you know what I mean. Then last year we were nearly murdered by a snake on Christmas Eve...I would really like this year to be different."

Hermione warred with herself, part of her was shouting for an immediate Christmas activity while the other half of her stood on Mount Crumpit and sneered at the thought.

"Harry I...I hear you. Can we talk about it in the morning? I'm feeling super jetlagged. I'd love to read for a bit and head off to bed."

Harry sid his hand out of hers and nodded, not meeting her eyes. "Of course. I think I'm going to stick by the fire for a bit longer. See you in the morning, 'Mi."

Hermione chewed her lip and with a last concerned look at Harry, she hurried up the stairs to her room. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She hated feeling like she was letting Harry down but she wasn't completely sure she could handle being festive when part of her wanted nothing more than to hide as far away from the memories those activities would surely stir up.

Standing there for a long minute she decided maybe a relaxing bubble bath would help her unwind and headed into the en suite. The bathtub was deep and a nice oval shape. She noticed it when she had peeked in earlier. It looked very inviting. After the steaming water was filled with thick bubbles, she piled her hair onto her head in a messy bun and slipped into the lavender scented bath.

Downstairs, Harry pulled a slightly crumpled, folded paper from his pocket. He read it over and sighed. After awhile he stuffed it back into his pocket and patterned into the kitchen. After a look around the various cupboards and drawers to familiarize himself with everything, he began pulling out bowls, flour, spoons, pans and other various bits from the pantry and fridge.

Soon he was lost in his own little world.

Over an hour later he pulled the last pan of cinnamon streusel pumpkin muffins from the oven and set them on a rack to cool. Finally feeling completely knackered he went back upstairs to change into pajamas and get some shut eye.

Once in the room he picked, he grabbed his bag and began rifling through it. As helpful as the expanded bag was, it was dreadful to use and find things in. After realizing his pajamas simply weren't in his bag, he roughly tossed his bag to the ground in frustration. He _knew_ he had packed them, where could they have...Harry smacked his forehead. He _had_ packed them...in _Hermione's_ bag. She had come up to fetch him when they were getting ready to leave. She had reminded him to bring them and he had stuffed them into her bag in the rush to leave.

Not wanting to wake her, he decided he would just sleep in his t-shirt and boxers tonight and get his pajamas from her tomorrow. He stuffed his jeans and socks back into his bag and hung his coat over the nearby chair. With a quick look around his "room" he quietly slipped back out into the hall and back down the stairs. Putting a couple extra logs on the fire, he laid on the couch and covered up with the small throw that had been draped on the back.

Despite the less than ideal sleeping arrangement, he'd had worse and was soon asleep after staring into the fire as the flame began to lick the freshly added wood.

The nice long bath had Hermione feeling much more relaxed. She then took a quick shower to wash her hair. After wrapping herself in the delightfully plush towel, she set to see if they had a blow dryer in this place. It looked like it was fully outfitted with Muggle appliances so it stood to reason.. _Aha!_ She found the object of her desire in the bottom drawer of the vanity.

She carefully brushed, dried, and braided her hair into a single plait down her back. When she finished, she hitched up her towel and went into her room. Finding her bag, she fished out the book she was reading and set it to the side, then began unpacking her clothes into the empty wardrobe. When she came across her sleepwear, she slipped them on and continued to unpack.

She was nearly done when she pulled out a bundle of fabric she didn't recognize. Shaking the bundle free, she discovered it was a man's pj set. Realizing it was Harry's, she set them aside to take to him.

Hermione put the last of her things away, took her toiletries bag to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and then scooped up the now properly folded nightwear and set off to Harry's room.

She crossed the hall and knocked lightly on his door. When he didn't respond she knocked a bit harder. Deciding he must already be asleep she figured she could just slip in and leave his clothes by his bag.

Hermione pushed the door open quietly and was shocked at the room it revealed. Harry was not in it and it was most definitely _not _a bedroom. It looked like an office. Opposite the door was a window with a large desk sitting under it. The office chair had Harry's jacket draped over it and his bag was beside it. The wall to the right had a half book case that looked much neater than the one down stairs. Where the other was filled with fiction, the one here seemed to be all reference books for writing: Dictionary, thesaurus, baby name meaning books, an atlas, encyclopedias, English writing books, travel books. _She must have done most of her writing here, _Hermione thought as she looked over the modern typewriter atop the desk.

Looking around the small room she realized there wasn't even a loo attached. Wondering where Harry could be, she decided to check downstairs. _Where else could he be_ after all she thought.

The smell of cinnamon baked goods hit her as she descended the stairs. She didn't see him in the kitchen but did spy a set of amazing looking muffins.

Turning to the still glowing fire, she found Harry asleep on the couch, his feet and a good portion of his legs sticking out from the bottom of the small blanket.

"Oh, Merlin. This boy and his chivalry," Hermione said under her breath as she decided what to do. She just stood there, staring at him, as she considered her options. Without magic, she had no way to make another bed for him. She cursed him for talking her into leaving her wand behind. Her options were let him sleep on the couch, give him the bed and sleep on the couch herself, or let him share the bed with her.

She sighed as she realized there was only one option.

"'Mi, I know I'm handsome, but watching me sleep is a bit manic, don't you think?" His voice startled her as he spoke with his eyes still closed, cracking one eye open he continued, "Joking aside, what's wrong? You okay?"

Hermione gave him a look. "No, it is not fine! Why didn't you tell me you didn't have a bed? I should have realized when the letter said 'the bed' and not 'beds.' I can't believe I didn't catch that. I was too focused on the fact that we didn't know her first name." She huffed once more and gave him a look that said "Start talking."

Harry sat up sleepily and put his glasses back on. "What would that have solved? I don't mind kipping on the couch. I want you to have a good time on this holiday. Finding out I messed up right out of the gate and got us a place with only one room would have looked bad. But I swear Kings said this had everything we would need. I never thought to make sure it had two beds, he knew both of us were coming," Harry shrugged.

Hermione stared at him for a long moment and said, "Alright, here are your pajamas; they were in my bag. Come on, lets get some sleep. I'm wiped out."

Harry looked at her questioningly as he caught the night clothes she tossed to him. "What do you mean?"

"Don't act daft. I'm not going to let you sleep on the couch with a blanket that doesn't even cover you when there is a king sized monster of a bed upstairs. We're both mature enough to share a bed." She gave him a look that she hoped said 'no arguments' and turned on her heel to head back upstairs. A heart beat later she heard him shuffle off the couch and follow her up.


	2. Chapter 2

**December 22nd**

When Hermione woke the next morning, she was disoriented. The sun had yet to rise and the room was still cloaked in darkness. It was also absolutely freezing. The oddest bit was her pillow was breathing. Realizing she had scooted all the way over to Harry's side of the bed and cuddled into his side sometime in the night, she froze.

While the logical course of action would be to slip out of bed immediately and start her day, part of her wanted nothing more than to stay right where she was, soak in the warmth, and relish the safe feeling. After a long minute Hermione shuffled awkwardly out of the bed, trying hard not to wake him. She grabbed her clothes for the day, headed into the bathroom for her morning ablutions, and got dressed.

As the door to the en suite clicked shut, Harry opened his eyes. A look of deep confusion crossing his features. Hermione was his best friend. He had loved her for years, but she had always made it clear she wasn't interested in him in that way. Harry thought his feelings for her had been buried deep and long forgotten...but waking up with her against him...It just felt right.

With an irritated sigh he sat up and swung his feet over the edge of the bed. Harry shivered jerkily as he threw back the blanket and the cold air really hit him. Thinking the fire must have gone out, Harry slipped from the room to try and warm the place back up.

The Dursleys had had a fireplace, but Uncle Vernon never let Harry start the fire. He was forced to keep the fireplace clean and swept of ash but was never trusted to actually handle the fire poker or to add logs. So after he had cleaned away the ashes from the previous day, he was a little out of his element as to what to do next.

Going off of what he had seen his uncle do, he stacked the logs in the metal grate, stuffed a couple balled up pieces of newspaper under it, and lit the paper with a match from the box nearby.

He watched as the paper was slowly consumed by the fire, but the flame didn't get very big and the logs didn't seem to be catching. Frustrated now, he balled a couple more pieces of paper and pushed them in and stuck another match. The logs still did not catch.

"The paper is balled too tight and you need tinder. Otherwise, you're doing great."

Harry turned to find Hermione with an amused smile and the large blanket from the bed doubled up and wrapped around her like a bulky cloak. Her head just barely poking out from the fabric folds.

"Tinder?"

"The small bits of wood in that box next to the stack of logs. The paper, or kindling, ignite the tinder which burns long enough to light the logs. The paper burns out too fast and doesn't get hot enough to do the job alone. Also, you want lots of air to be able to get in, so only crumple the paper up a bit, don't get it into too tight of a ball."

Harry nodded and turned back to his task. He swept the paper ashes from the first attempt aside, stuck in the slivers of wood and bark in between the logs, carefully crumpled the paper under the grate, and looked to Hermione for a final approval before he struck the match. Seeing her positive appraisal he lit the paper in a few places and watched as the fire slowly began to take.

Harry let out a whoop of victory and Hermione clapped encouragingly from under her blanket.

"Look at that, we make a damn good team, Granger," he said with a smile.

"Language, Potter, and that we do." Her return smile was a bit tight, but warm nonetheless.

"Breakfast? I could use a hot drink, It's still positively fridged in here."

Hermione nodded in agreement and shuffled along in her giant blanket to perch upon the kitchen stool.

Harry set to work on setting the kettle on. "Eggs and bacon good?"

"Anything I don't have to cook would be amazing," she quipped from the sidelines. It was no secret the she was not the best in the kitchen. She could follow a recipe to the letter, but the skill and intuition it took to be a good cook she was just...lacking.

The tea and fixings made it to the table first. Hermione poured hers quickly and held her mug close to soak in the heat. The plates of eggs and bacon followed soon after. Harry had even warmed up a couple of the muffins and added one to each plate. They ate in amicable silence.

As Hermione bit into her muffin, she was transported straight to Nirvana. "Oh, sweet Merlin. These are amazing. If the moniker Muffin Man wasn't already taken I think these would win you the title."

Harry laughed. "As if I need another title. The paper finds a new one every week. I think before we left they were calling me the Wizarding UK's Most Eligible Bachelor. I mean..I'm only 18! Surely there is someone more worthy of such a spotlight."

Hermione rolled her eyes with a smile as she finished another bite of her muffin. "I don't know, tell the ladies you can make muffins like this and you'll have a wife in a week."

"How will I know it's for the muffins and not for the whole Boy-Who-Lived thing?"

"Once they eat one of these it will be hello Muffin Man, Boy-Who-Lived who?"

They laughed together as they finished breakfast. The cold was slowly dissipating and the sky was finally starting to lighten.

Harry pushed the sheer curtains back at the window at the front of the house. He decided to watch the sunrise before going back upstairs to dress for the day. It was rare he was awake early enough these days to see it.

Hermione joined his side after a moment, the silly blanket still wrapped around her. Harry shivered and looked down at Hermione. "Share some of that would you?"

Hermione tucked the quilt tighter around her and shook her head. "Nope."

"What?! Come on, just a bit. I'm freezing here."

"Nuh-uh."

"I made you breakfast."

"Get your own blanket!"

"Come on, please."

"Nooooo, you'll let all the warmth I've built up out."

Harry grinned evilly. "Fine but then I'm sending the rest of my muffins over to the nice neighbors Mrs. Shacklebolt mentioned."

Hermione's eyes sparkled even as they narrowed. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, I would so dare."

Hermione let out an exaggerated sigh and unwound the blanket so it could be arranged around both their shoulders.

"See, that wasn't so bad."

"You still let the cold in," Hermione grumbled.

"Here," Harry shuffled her smaller frame in front of his and with his arms around her, he held the blanket closed. He rested his cheek atop her head and they watched content until the sun rose.

Minutes later Harry was first to speak. "Beautiful." He cleared his throat and stepped away from Hermione, placing the quilt back on her shoulders. "I should go get dressed. How would you feel about checking out the village today?"

Hermione could only nod as Harry made his way away from her. When he disappeared from her sight she looked back out the window. She didn't know what to do with these bubbling feelings she thought she had repressed for Harry. Although it wasn't often he initiated any type of physical contact, it wasn't a rare thing for them to hug or sit close together. A week ago she wouldn't even have thought twice if Harry had hugged her as they watched the sunrise...but thinking about it all together like that..she realized how very romantic it sounded.

She hadn't missed her mother so much as she did in that moment. _Mum would know just how to help, she always gave the best advice_, Hermione thought as tears began to gather in her eyes. She stood there as the sad turn her thoughts had turned seeped into her.

Finally turning away from the view, Hermione hastily wiped her eyes and collected herself. She decided to throw herself into the history of the town to forget the emptiness she felt of not having her parents.

A half hour later they were bundled up and standing on the back deck. Once again questioning Harry's sanity.

"I'm not getting on that thing."

"Come on! We just need to take it to the road. It's not like it flies. I thought you were only scared of heights?"

"At least with the broom I was sure of your skills! I knew I was safe. You have no idea how to drive one of these things!" Hermione's voice was getting progressively more high pitched.

Harry sighed. "Kingsley gave me the low down. It should be simple. It snowed more last night and it's perfect for this; plus, I refuse to trudge through two miles of snow. So unless you want to follow me on the Firebolt, hop on so we can get going." He patted the seat behind him.

Hermione gave him a long look from her place on the deck. Groaning in defeat she walked carefully down the snow-covered steps and clambered on behind him.

Roaring the engine to life, Harry pulled the snowmobile on top the path that would lead them down to the road. It took some getting used to, it was very difficult to steer and by the end Harry was glad that it was over. While he was sure it could be very fun mode of transportation, he would have to try when Hermione wasn't trying to bruise his ribs.

Harry parked it by a covered out building not far from the street. He tossed a set of keys to Hermione who nearly dropped them in surprise. "What are these for?"

Harry pointed into the covered parking. "That."

Hermione turned to find a shiny dark blue Jeep. "What do you want me to do with them?" she asked in a panicked voice.

"I know your dad taught you how to drive. I have zero experience and I can't call for a cab here. You'll have to drive us around town."

She looked at him with wide eyes. "I haven't driven in two years and you want me to drive a friend's vehicle in a country that drives on the opposite side of the road _and _car? Are you mad?"

"Nope. I have full faith in you."

It was a rocky start, but Hermione was able to get them on the road.

"See?" Harry said from the passenger's seat. "Easy."

"Hush you. Just get the map out and tell me where to go."

Harry didn't need telling twice with that tone, so he unfurled the local map and began relaying directions.

"'Mi, I love that you love the history of this place, but we haven't eaten since sunrise and its bloody noon. Let's eat before I keel over," Harry whined as Hermione was reading the plaque in front of the carving of the Headless Horseman. They had been walking most of the morning. Hermione had parked the Jeep at the first opportunity. Luckily walking up and down the stairs to Gryffindor tower at school for sevenish years had really built up their stamina. However, it was now almost noon and Harry was feeling hangry. Hermione was like a woman possessed as they went from one historic site to the next. She had already bought four books and taken at least a dozen pamphlets.

"Hm? Oh, yes, I suppose I could use some food," she said as she finished reading.

Harry looked around and pointed across the street. "Look! A Thai place. Perfect."

Hermione struggled to keep up with his long strides and he made his way first to the cross walk, and then over to the restaurant in question.

Once their food was delivered and Harry got a few bites in he said, "So, I was thinking we could head home soon and see if we could find a Christmas tree to cut down. I think it could be fun hiking out and finding our own tree. The note said we could."

Hermione looked uncomfortable again. "I don't know, Harry.."

"Well, even if we don't find one, I saw a couple tree lots while you were driving, we could always come back and pick one from there."

"No I mean I'm not sure I.."

"Might have to do it tomorrow though if we strike out, it gets dark so early this time of year."

"It does, but.."

"Only three days till Christmas after all, we should at least have the tree up."

"HARRY! I DON'T WANT TO DECORATE A STUPID TREE!" Hermione slapped her hand over her mouth and looked around as the other diners turned to stare at them. The ambient chatter halting around them.

Harry had frozen and the bite he had scooped up on his fork fell back onto his plate.

"I'm so sorry I shouted. I was just—"

"It's fine. I hear you loud and clear. Maybe we should just finish up so we can go." Harry flagged down the waiter and paid their bill. They picked at their food in silence. He didn't speak as they made their way back to the car either. Even during the car ride his face was a mask of indifference. She was thinking desperately what she could say but was coming up blank.

Hermione pulled slowly off the street and into the parking space reserved for the Jeep. When they were getting out of the car, she heard someone shout. Looking for the source, she spotted a man waving wildly at them from the next driveway over.

Hermione waved back and as the man started making his way over to them. He was dressed in dark pants and a light gray jumper. His short brown hair was gelled and styled simply. Hermione thought he looked very...average. Maybe late twenties?

"You folks must be friends of the Shacklebolts. I'm Martin Tremblay." He offered his hand which both Harry and Hermione shook. "I look after the cabin when Mrs. Shacklebolt is away. Was the place warm enough when you arrived?"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Harry and this is Hermione. Yes, thank you so much for getting the fire going for us," Harry answered.

"No problem, no problem. Well, my wife would kill me if I didn't invite you two over for the holiday cookie exchange. I know it's short notice but we would love to have you over tonight. Party starts at 6. Whaddaya say?"

"What is a cookie exchange?" Harry asked confused.

"Oh uh..It's just a Christmas party, but everyone brings a bunch of cookies. When you leave you get a box of assorted cookies. A mix of what others brought. I'm bad at explaining things...My wife loves the holidays. The theme this year was her idea," Martin explained. "But as it is short notice would don't have to make anything; you can come and enjoy the party all the same!"

Harry looked at Hermione who didn't seem inclined to answer, so he smiled and said, "We'll be there. Thank you for the invitation."

"Perfect! I better go let the wife know. See you tonight!" Martin said excitedly as he made his way through the snow back to his own driveway.

Hermione didn't protest this time as she climbed behind Harry on the snowmobile. The trip to the cabin went faster than Hermione remembered the trip down being.

After parking the snowmobile, Harry offered Hermione a hand to assist her up the icy steps of the deck, but dropped it as soon as she was up and went inside without a backward glance. Hermione swallowed heavily. She felt terrible for shouting at him at lunch, but he just wouldn't listen to her when she said she didn't want to join in on Christmas-y stuff.

When she got inside she spied Harry in front of the fireplace getting a new fire roaring to life. She was trying to decide what to say to him when he finished his task and stood abruptly.

"I'm going for a shower and then I'll see if we have the wares for a batch of biscuits to take to the 'Cookie Exchange' thing," Harry said evenly but he didn't wait for her reply as he stalked up the stairs.

Hermione sighed and sat heavily on the couch in front of the fire. She really hadn't intended for this to be such a sticking point between her and Harry on this trip. Why couldn't he see she just wasn't in the mood for a traditional Christmas? And now she had to put on a cheery face for a stupid Christmas party. It would have been rude to turn down such a nice invitation (which is why she hadn't spoken up at the offer.) She didn't want Martin to catch on to how reluctant she was, so she had let Harry accept.

She stared moodily at the fire until she heard him descend the stairs some time later. He went straight to the kitchen and Hermione could hear cupboards being opened and closed.

Deciding to leave Harry be while he worked, she stood to go upstairs to pick out her clothes for the party and see if she could tame her hair.

In the kitchen, Harry was pushing up his sleeves. He had found sufficient makings for a double batch of cranberry orange shortbread biscuits. The bowls, spoons, and various ingredients were laid out on the counter top.

Working on muscle memory he began assembling the dough. As he did, his mind wandered. He hadn't expected Hermione to react so violently to the idea of Christmas. Which really confused him because she seemed fine with going to this party tonight. Was it just him? Had he messed up this morning somehow? He had only been trying to help her remember what she loved about this season while also checking off all the silly traditions he never got to experience as a child. He had thought Hermione was the best person to get to do those things with. Now...he just wasn't sure if he should just give up the whole crazy idea…

Harry pushed the newly formed dough into a rough cylinder shape and wrapped it in parchment paper. He then rolled it a few times on the counter to even out the shape, and placed it in the freezer to chill. He busied himself preparing the baking pans and when those were ready, he hit the buttons on the oven for the preheat. Using the spare time he had while the oven got up to temperature, he decided to look though the Christmas stuff Mrs. Shacklebolt had set out to see if there was something nice he could put the biscuits in when they were done.

Hermione descended the stairs in a pair of black trousers and a flowy silver blouse with a black knit cardigan over the top. She had styled her hair up in a simple twist with a few tendrils framing her face. Her makeup was light and natural. Her gray wedge ankle boots echoed on the hardwood as she reached the bottom floor.

Harry looked up from the boxes of Christmas stuff he was sifting through when he heard her approach. She looked exquisite. His breath stilled as he drank her in. Merlin, she was perfect. Her warm chocolate eyes that he loved so much met his own emerald gaze and the world seemed like it melted away.

The loud buzzer from the kitchen startled him as he remembered he needed oxygen and drew a breath. Hermione looked like she was about to say something when he snagged the gift box he had found and made his way back into the kitchen to get his dough in the oven.

Hermione had seen the look in his eye when she entered the room. When he rushed past her into the kitchen, her self doubt set in, maybe she hadn't seen what she thought. _Of course Harry wasn't interested her in that way. Maybe he was just still upset over the lunch thing. Yeah, that was it. It was pity or sadness in his gaze. Not attraction. Not fire. Silly, foolish, Hermione, _she thought as she sat back heavily on the couch and rested her chin on her fist.

Once more in the kitchen, Harry shook his head to clear it. He pulled out the, now firmer, cylinder of dough and began slicing the biscuits and placing them on the sheet pan as he went. When that was done, he took the pans of biscuits and slid them onto the middle rack of each of the ovens. At least with the double oven, he could get all the pans he had made at once. Setting the timer, he sat on one of the stools with his head in his hands at the kitchen bar.

While he waited for them to bake his thoughts drifted. _If only Hermione had given him a chance. He had been wanting to make a move for months. Maybe now was the time. Maybe he should take a chance and tell her how he feels. _Harry snorted at the thought, _Yeah, right. Right after I teach a Blast-ended Skrewt table manners._

The timer went off a while later. Hermione had not come into the kitchen, so Harry figured she must have decided to sit in the living room rather than be in the same room as him. He kicked himself again for being so pushy about Christmas as he stood to check the oven.

Seeing the biscuits were done and perfectly golden around the edges he took them out and set them on cooling racks.

Harry unrolled his sleeves and buttoned the cuffs. Once the cookies were cool, he moved them carefully to the box he had found and placed the lid on top. He hoped they wouldn't break on the way to the Tremblay's party.

It was just after 5:40, so Harry set the box down and patted his pockets looking for the snowmobile key. Not finding it Harry called to Hermione, "Mi? Is the key to the snow mobile hanging up in there?"

Hermione walked to the back door and checked, "I only see the Jeep keys and the little key for the ATV thing. Do you not have it in your pocket?"

Harry patted himself down again. "No, I looked." He walked to the front door where his jacket was hung on the coat tree. "Maybe it's in my jacket," he mumbled as he began rifling through the pockets of his coat.

Hermione started up the stairs. "I'll check up here, maybe you dropped it somewhere."

She looked on the floor and in the bathroom, no dice. Seeing Harry's discarded jeans, she picked them up to check the pockets. The first pocket had only a slightly crumpled, folded paper and the other had... Aha! The snowmobile key. She was just about to open the paper when Harry's voice called from down stairs, "Any luck?"

Hermione stuffed the paper quickly in her own pocket and yelled back, "Uh, Yeah! Found it."

She blushed slightly as she rushed down and passed him the key.

Harry took it and said, "Well..uh..we should probably-"

"Right, yes. We should go," Hermione said slightly flustered. "Lead the way!"

Harry detoured to stoke the fire, grab the box from the kitchen, slip his coat on, and then he made his way out the back door and onto the snowmobile. When Hermione climbed behind him he turned slightly and said, "Do you think you can hold the box? Not sure I can steer this thing and hold the biscuits still."

Hermione took the box with a nod and scooted back a bit to fit in on the seat between her and Harry. Luckily, she was still close enough to keep one hand on the box and one on Harry's waist to keep her steady on the back.

The sky was already dark, so Harry fumbled with the nobs a bit before he was able to find the switch for the headlights. With his path now illuminated, he made his way slowly down the trail that lead them down to their neighbor's place.

The snow, while not very deep near the house, was becoming a bit slushy, making it difficult to walk well in. Harry took the box and offered his arm to Hermione helping her balance in the slick wet snow.

The made it safely to the door and Harry knocked. A moment later a woman in a bright red jumper opened the door and greeted them with a huge smile.

"Oh! You must be the visitors from next door! Ah, I just love it when couples match. How cute are you?" The woman said in way of greeting.

Harry had looked down to realize they did match: he in his grey button down & black jacket and her in her silver blouse and black cardigan.

Hermione however had let go of Harry's arm to distance herself and as she stepped away, she hit a patch of ice. Her boots, while stylish, had next to no grip on the bottom and she as she started to say, "Oh no we aren't—" Hermione fell right on her butt into the wet snow. Harry quickly helped her up.

"Oh my! You poor thing. Come on in. Sorry about that I thought Martin had salted the walkway. Here let me get you a towel."

The woman at the door ushered them inside, grabbed a towel from the linen closet nearby and pointed the restroom out to Hermione.

While Hermione rushed off to try and dry off and clean the dirt from her trousers, Harry was taken into the kitchen.

"Um, I brought these. Mr. Tremblay said it was a cookie exchange. I hope they're okay. I made them a bit smaller than usual but I thought it was fitting…" Harry trailed off as he offered the box of biscuits to the woman in red.

"Oh dear, you didn't need to go through the trouble, but thank you so much. And please, call him Martin. Ugh, where are my manners! I'm Charlotte, Martin's wife. Just call me Charlotte. Mr. and Mrs. Tremblay makes me feel like my in-laws are here," she said with a wink.

Harry smiled indulgently and silently prayed his friend would rejoin his side soon.

In the bathroom, Hermione was muttering about "Stupid messy haired boys talking her into a magic free holiday," as slid her trousers off to try and clean them off

She was just brushing the last bit of soggy leaf off when the paper from earlier fell from her pocket. Hermione hung her slacks on the towel rack and picked up the slip of paper. Carefully unfolding it, she read:

_My Ultimate Christmas Checklist:_

_Bake and decorate Christmas cookies_

_Build a snowman and make a snow angel_

_Decorate a Christmas Tree (Chop one down?)_

_Make those popcorn string things_

_Decorate a Gingerbread house_

_Go Sledding_

_Ice skate and take a sleigh ride_

_Read "Twas the Night Before Christmas"_

_Go caroling (Learn carols?)_

_Have a Christmas dinner_

_Forget the bad years, focus on the people I have now._

_Make Hermione smile again_

Hermione folded the paper back up and really wanted to kick herself. Harry was always trying to do things for her and she couldn't even help him have a good holiday. All he wanted to do was have a happy Christmas. She thought about when he was talking about finding her parents. He had apologized that _they _hadn't found time to go get them. He had said "_we_" not "_You_." Like there was never any doubt he would have been by her side.

Hermione decided to put on her big girl pants and just deal with her discomfort with being festive without her parents. Her best friend needed her, and by Merlin she was going to be there for him.

She had her hand on the door handle just as she realized ...she really needed to put her trousers back on first. Thanking her lucky stars again that they were dark enough to not show any left over dirt, she slipped them on and marched from the bathroom, placing the paper safely back into her pocket.

Hermione found Harry in the kitchen and had to stifle a laugh at his obvious discomfort. He was surrounded by ladies ranging in age from late twenties to mid forties and they were practically fawning over him.

"Sorry about that," she said moving through the crowd to get to Harry's side. "What'd I miss?"

The relief on Harry's face made her grin grow wider. "Hermione! They were wondering about the biscuit recipe. This is Charlotte, Martin's wife and her friends." He indicated the posse that had gathered.

"Biscuits, how very British. I just love it," one of the posse twittered.

Harry looked a little red around the collar and Hermione decided to help. "Charlotte, is Martin around? I'm sure Harry here would love to say hello."

"Oh, silly me. Of course, the husbands made their way out to the 'man cave'. I'll show y'all out there." She excused herself from the gaggle of women (who looked slightly disappointed to see Harry go) and led the two of them out to what looked like a garage on the outside. Knocking twice, Charlotte pushed open the door and a wide furnished room greeted them. It had a pool table and a bar. There was even a dart board and animals with antlers hung on the walls. "Hermione, if you get bored out here hun, you're welcome to join us inside. Whatever makes you most comfortable. I'll have some food out shortly," Charlotte said as she patted their shoulders and headed back inside.

The men around the room were crowded around a TV on the far side of the room. By the sound of it, it was some sports thing. Martin looked up just as they closed the door. "Howdy, neighbors! Come in, come in. You guys handing all this snow okay?"

"Oh yes, we get quite a bit back home so it's not too bad," Harry answered.

"This is new for us around here. Usually at most we get an inch or two. This year we already got about a foot and a half and they are predicting more in the next few days. Crazy. Hasn't snowed this hard in like 60 years or something."

"Wow, I didn't know this was rare. I mean, the Shacklebolts have that snowmobile, so I figured it was normal," Hermione said.

"Nah, the missus uses the four wheeler mostly when she's here. Her husband was the one that wanted the snowmobile. They have a little trailer for it and take it up to the mountain to ride. She's a beut though. Only ridden it a time or two myself. Trying to talk the old lady into getting ourselves one."

The conversation carried them for awhile and Martin introduced them to the other husbands that had taken refuge in the "Man Cave." A while later they were lured back into the house for dinner, and despite everyone being at least a decade older than her and the heavy focus on Christmas, Hermione found herself enjoying every minute. Even Harry could be spotted with a grin on his face as he participated in the banter.

When the party was winding down, the cookies began to be sorted and passed out. Everyone fought over who got the most of the ones Harry brought, making him fidget in delighted embarrassment. Pressing a box into Hermione's hands, Charlotte smiled. "Let me show these ladies out, I'll be right back."

The gaggle of women, a few tipsy from the wine at dinner, made their way out with their husbands trailing behind holding their wife's purses and shaking their heads in amusement.

Harry turned to Hermione when the door closed. "Thanks for coming tonight. I know this is the last place you wanted to be...but...Just thank you. I had fun. I'm glad we came."

Hermione smiled. "I am too actually. We should try to find that tree tomorrow. You were right, we should try to find one to cut down."

Harry looked at her bemused. "You sure? You said—"

"I know. But...I was wrong. I was missing my mother this morning and the tree was always her favorite part. Then that was all you were focused on and I ...lashed out. I'm so sorry."

Harry pulled her into a hug. "I forgive you. I'm sorry if I was pushy. I'd _love _to pick a tree out with you tomorrow."

The front door opening and closing snapped them out of their moment and Harry reluctantly let go of her. Charlotte just smiled her brightest smile at them.

"So, I heard you two were interested in some of the local celebrations? We only have a couple left with Christmas just a few days away. Tomorrow there is the gingerbread house decorating contest at the park at noon. And then that evening, weather permitting, we have the caroling at sunset. We mostly just do the old folks homes these days, but we have some kids that join us and they love it."

Charlotte paused to think. "That might be it until New Years where we do fireworks over by the river. Not the big show you'll get down in time square but pretty all the same. With all this crazy snow this year though I expect most folks to stay home where it's nice and warm."

Harry nodded. "We'll keep that in mind. Thank you so much for tonight. We had a great time."

"Which park is doing the contest?" Hermione asked. Harry had to hide his look of surprise.

"Devries Park. Over near the baseball field. It should be on your local map. Participants need to check in at noon, judging starts at 1:30. We provide the houses and a table full of decoration options. We do it for donations for the local schools. They sell hot apple cider and hot chocolate and such," Charlotte explained.

"Sounds delightful. If we have time after putting the tree up, maybe we will stop by," Hermione said.

They said their goodbyes after that and Harry and Hermione mounted the snowmobile once more and puttered up to the cabin.

The time change still being new to them, Harry and Hermione both decided to head straight to bed; both were exhausted after such a long day.


	3. Chapter 3

**December 23rd**

When Hermione woke the next morning, it was once again very chilly. Well, except for the very warm, manly arm draped across her middle and the body said arm belonged to pressed against her back. Wanting to stay were there was some warmth and the need to relieve herself was a losing battle. As her bladder began to protest, she tried to ease the arm off her so she could slip free.

Just as she thought she was home free, Harry snagged her back and pulled her back against him.

"No," he mumbled sleepily, "'S'too cold. Stay here."

Hermione pushed at his arm and tried not to giggle. "Harry, not to be crass but I need to pee. If you're so cold go fix the fire up."

Harry groaned and curled up into a ball to try and preserve any residual heat, but without Hermione the bed was quickly growing colder. Sitting up with another groan, he rubbed his eyes and stretched. As his brain slowly came to, he decided to get the stupid fire going again.

He was to the bedroom door when he paused with a grin; turning back to the room he grabbed the blanket off the bed and wrapped himself up much like Hermione had done the day before.

Downstairs, he freed his arms and swept the ashes away from yesterday, careful to not get any soot on the blanket.

He quickly built a new fire like Hermione had instructed the day before. The new flames had just started to take when he heard Hermione shout from upstairs. "Potter! No fair!"

Harry grinned again and padded into the kitchen to get the tea on. Hermione showed a few minutes later, she was fully dressed for the day all the way down to boots and a knit hat. She had the blanket from the couch over her shoulders as she pouted from the kitchen stool that Harry had taken the big blanket.

Harry pulled a plate from the microwave and shuffled towards her. "Here, have a muffin while I get some breakfast going."

"You can't buy me with a— well maybe you can, but there's no way you can cook breakfast with the big blanket wrapped around you. You're just being mean."

Harry laughed and simply set about to prove her wrong. He chopped some veggies and grated some cheese for omelettes. Careful to keep the blanket around him, but out of the way of food and fire was difficult but he managed. When the omelettes where done and he slid Hermione's plate towards her with a big grin.

"Smug isn't a good look for you, Harry," she grumbled as she dug into her food. Harry simply chuckled at her and settled into his own breakfast.

When they finished Harry cleared the plates. It was still pretty chilly, so Harry took mercy on Hermione and placed the quilt around her.

"I was just playing, Harry. You can keep it, it's still cold."

He waved her off. "I have to go get dressed and stuff. Why don't you camp out by the fire, should be warm over there."

It took awhile for the cabin to warm up but when it had, both Harry and Hermione were ready to start their hunt for a tree.

"I just need to get the ax, I'll go grab it and meet you on the deck. Can you add some logs to the fire so it stays warm in here?"

Seeing her agreement, he went outside to locate the ax. Finding it exactly where the letter had said it would be, he scooped it up and went to the back deck just as Hermione was getting to the door.

"We'll need more wood when we get back. I just put the last of it on the fire."

Harry nodded and looked around. "Can do. Now which way should we go?"

"Might be hard to get up the hill, we can see if there anything that way," she pointed in the direction opposite to the neighbors.

"We could always take the Firebolt," Harry suggested.

Hermione gave him a withering stare. "I thought this was a 'Muggle' holiday. I think not. We should be able to hike that way.

"There's still enough snow on the ground to take the snowmobile."

"Then how would we carry the tree back?"

Harry sighed and his breath fogged in front of him. "Fine, lead on."

Hermione smiled triumphantly and marched in the direction she pointed, snow crunching beneath her boots. Harry put the ax on he shoulder and followed after her.

They spent the morning criss crossing through the woods looking for just the right tree. Harry found Hermione was quite picky—_that ones too skinny, too bare, too tall, branches too thin_—but he marched after her dutifully and gave his opinion when requested. Just as they were about to give up and get one in town instead, Harry spotted the perfect tree.

"Hermione, look, did we see that one yet?" He pointed to a tree about seven meters from them. It was just a bit taller than he was.

"I don't think so." Hermione walked over to it and circled around it, checking the branches. "You did it, Harry! I think it's perfect!"

Harry's answering smile said it all. "Now what?" he asked.

"Now you chop it down." Hermione cleared the snow away from the base of the tree and snapped off a couple of sagging branches. "There, swing the ax right here. I've never seen one cut down with an ax; the one time I did this with my family we used a chainsaw. Daddy likes his power tools."

It took some doing, but eventually they were able to fell their chosen tree.

"Will you be able to carry it? I think it's a thirty minute walk back to the cabin."

Harry picked the tree up as if it weighed nothing. "Easy. The weightless charm is one of the only ones I can do wandless."

Hermione looked at him wide eyed. "What do you mean you can do it wandless?"

Harry looked confused. "I mean I used magic without my wand to make the tree not be heavy…"

"I understand what you said, Harry! I mean when did you start doing wandless magic? The most I've gotten is the summoning charm and even then, the thing I'm summoning has to be in the same room as me."

'Oh, uh. Well, when Ron was drinking...It helped to be able to carry him and put him in his bed. I guess I learned this one because I needed to. I never thought about it. When Ron got better and started working with George, I didn't exactly have a need to practice, but I can carry this tree just fine," Harry finished flustered. He didn't like talking about Ron.

"Oh. Well, I think you're breaking the Muggle Holiday rule, but I'm just glad I don't have to help you carry that thing." Hermione smiled lightly, understanding Harry wanted to drop the subject.

"Well, we should get it back. I still need to get the firewood chopped too."

Hermione simply nodded and began leading the way once more.

Chopping wood was not as easy as Harry had thought it would be. They had settled the tree into the tree stand and Hermione was going through the Christmas decorations to find the baubles and lights. Harry had left her to start on the wood. He carried in the small stack that had already been cut inside and then when back out to get chopping.

Harry had been out in the snow for what felt like hours and only had a small pile to show for his work. He had long since shucked his coat and while he was better than when he had started, It was still quite labor intensive.

After he felt he had gotten enough cut for a few days, he stacked the wood along the house where the other stack had been. Then he picked up some of the bits and bark to add to the tinder box and made his way inside.

Hermione looked up as Harry came in and paused from wrapping the staircase railing in garland. His perpetually messy hair was windswept like he had just come back from quidditch practice. His glasses were slightly askew as he struggled to get the tinder box open without dropping little pieces of wood everywhere. She smiled as he succeeded and unloaded the armful of tinder into its box.

When he finished he glanced around and found her looking at him. "What?" He asked as a smile crept onto his face. "Did you say something?" He was worried she had been calling his name or something and he hadn't heard in his quest to not make a mess.

"Uh..Yes." Hermione cleared her throat, trying to cover the fact she had just been ogling Harry...again. "I hope you don't mind. I did the staircase. Let me just finish wrapping this bit and we can plug it in, this garland has lights."

Harry just smiled. "Looks great. Wood is all good. I might have to do more before we leave if this snow keeps up. When Kings told me about this place, he said it didn't get this much snow. Just when I think It's going to start melting off it drops more on us."

"Makes you wish you knew a wandless warming charm," Hermione quipped.

"I tried that and nearly set Gryffindor Tower on fire. I would not recommend that one," Harry joked back.

They spent the rest of the morning decorating the tree and putting up other decorations around the cabin. The staircase twinkled and the, now festive, fireplace mantle even had two stockings hanging from it. They were just looking around the room at their handy work when Hermione realized there was something missing.

"Harry, there's no tree topper. Did you see a star or an angel in any of the boxes?"

"I don't think so," Harry moved back amongst the open boxes and began sifting through them. Hermione quickly joined him.

When they met in the middle, empty handed, her face fell. "We can't have a proper tree without the topper," she said dismayed.

"The tree looks great. Maybe we can grab one from in town later?"

Hermione's eyes grew wide. "What time is it?!"

Harry looked at his watch. "Eleven thirty. Why?"

"We're going to be late!" Hermione rushed and grabbed her coat. "Hurry, go get cleaned up! We need to go!"

Harry didn't move. "Late for what? What's wrong?"

"The gingerbread house decorating contest, we have to be checked in by noon! Now move it! We need to go!"

"I thought you wouldn't want to do that? We don't have to—"

Hermione cut him off with an impatient noise. "I hate being late. It's fine, now go get cleaned up!"

Harry looked like he was going to argue again but the scary look she gave him got him moving up the stairs.

The trip to town was thankfully short. The park Charlotte had told them about was easy enough to find, and despite Hermione's scary driving, they made it safe and on time.

They reached the sign in table at the pavilion with three minutes to spare. Harry had just made the donation needed for their entry and Hermione had finished their entry form when Charlotte spotted them. "Hermione! Harry! I'm so happy you two could make it. This is the biggest fundraiser of the year for these kids. Here, let me show you to your table." She gave them each a hug, took their entry form, and lead them down a row of tables. They reached a table in the center of the row and she came to a stop. "This one is yours. We start in just a few minutes. The table with the decorations is right over there. When the whistle sounds you can begin. There will be a whistle when 30 minutes has passed and then another for finishing touches when you have five minutes left. Any questions, just flag me down."

Charlotte hugged them again and moved back through the tables, checking on people as they settled in. Hermione looked around at their competition. Lots of kids with their grandparents. Parents. Teens. A few young couples. The pavilion was full. The tables holding gingerbread houses were at capacity and the rest had other family members or school staff milling about and mingling.

"Okay. Game face. When the whistle blows you go pick candies and stuff, I'll get the icing colours and we will meet back here to get started. We'll need something kinda flat for stones for a walkway, and maybe for the chimney…" Hermione trailed off as she looked over the simple plain gingerbread house in front of her.

Harry smiled widely and saluted, he loved competitive Hermione. When the whistle blew a moment later, there was a mad rush to the big circular table that held all the decorations. When they got to the front, Harry took his tray and began loading it. Some of the American candy was foreign to him, but he went off shape and color and hoped he had everything they would need.

Back at the table Hermione laid out the small piping bags and looked over the spread Harry had brought with an approving gaze. "Okay, how are you with a piping bag?"

Harry rolled his eyes good naturedly. "Please, I have the steady hands of a seeker baby."

She rolled her eyes back at him with a smile and passed him the white icing bag. "Okay so here's what I need you to do…"

They spent their remaining time spooning sugar, paving candy walkways, making molding chocolate trees, smearing frosting on each other, and laughing. Under Hermione's expert guidance and Harry's ingenious ideas, the house looked like something from a bakery window. when the final touches whistle blew they were both thrilled with the little house they had created.

Harry looked over their creation one last time and nodded. "I think we're done. I so rarely get to see the competitive side of you. Have you done this before?" Harry asked, amused as he wiped off some of the icing she had smeared on the back of his hand earlier.

"Mum and I won two years in a row before I started Hogwarts. Dad was bad with frosting so he always chose to just cheer us on and keep us supplied with hot cocoa." Hermione paused her evaluation to give Harry a sad smile.

Harry's face fell. "I'm sorry. I should have known. I didn't mean to upset you."

Hermione shook her head. "No, I realized I should be happy I have these memories of them. Doing this stuff makes me feel closer to them. This was a lot of fun. I'm glad we came."

"Me too." Harry looked like there was more he wanted to say, but they were interrupted by the final whistle blow.

"Hands up, everyone! Make sure your number stays on the table and feel free to mingle, or get a hot drink from concession, while the judges begin their evaluations," they heard Charlotte's voice announce over the PA system.

Finding the group of people they had met at the Tremblay's party the night before, Harry and Hermione mingled while they waited to see how they did in the contest.

In the end, they took second place, much to Hermione's dismay. They lost to a rainbow unicorn house. The judges had loved their house, but they hadn't won points for going the "Traditional" route. First place had won ski lift passes to the local ski resort. The preteen and her mother that has made the unicorn house were excited with their prize.

Second place prize was a $100 in cash. Harry had waved off the envelope Charlotte had tried to give him and insisted it went toward the fundraiser. Hermione agreed, and Charlotte pulled them both into another hug that made them laugh.

As the event wound down, Harry and Hemione made their way over to Charlotte once more to say their good-byes.

"Thank you so much for inviting us, this was a blast," Hermione gushed.

"I had a great time. This was fantastic," Harry seconded.

"I'm so happy you two could make it. Are you coming out for the caroling tonight?"

Harry's face pinkened and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, as fun as it sounds. I think we might pass on that one. I've never really sang carols before."

"Are you sure? You don't have to be a pro to sing with us. We give you a little booklet with all the words."

"We'll talk about it and decide, But thanks again for helping us out. Today was wonderful," Hermione said with a smile.

They said their goodbyes and made their way back to the cabin—with a quick stop it pick out a new tree topper.

Once they made it home, Hermione collapsed on the couch. "Merlin, what a day."

Harry echoed the sentiment as he stoked the fire. "You getting hungry? You want me to start dinner?"

"Dinner sounds lovely. Can I help in any way?"

"Maybe, I'll let you know." Harry went to the kitchen and rifled once more through the fridge to decide what to make for dinner. Deciding he was a tad homesick, he found the makings for shepards pie and set to work.

Hermione padded in a while later. "Smells amazing. Can I help?"

"If you want to make the salad, that would be great."

Dinner was on the table before they knew it. When they were done, Hermione pulled the newly purchased star from the shopping bag and passed it to Harry. "Here, man of the house does the topper. Make sure to plug it in."

Harry took the star and, reaching up, placed it firmly atop the tree and plugged the little cord into the sting of the lights. The little star shined and twinkled as the little lights blinked on and off in turn.

He stepped back and pulled Hermione to his side with his arm around her shoulders. Together the stood and admired the tree.

"Did you want to try the caroling tonight?" she asked tentatively.

"I thought that was something I wanted to try, but I think I'd rather stay in tonight if that's okay"

Hermione nodded. "Of course it's okay. Is there something you wanted to do instead?"

"Preferably something we can do from the couch. I'm knackered."

"Well, if we can find a sewing kit we can string some popcorn for the tree."

Harry nodded slowly. "That could be fun."

They both hesitated to move from looking at the tree, or rather move from each others side. Eventually, Hermione left to find the sewing kit, and Harry went to the kitchen to pop some popcorn.

They met back at the couch with a large bowl of fluffy white popcorn and a small sewing case.

"Now, Daddy always like to use a thin fishing line but mum always swore by silk thread. They would go back and forth about the merits of both, but in the end it never mattered. I don't think we ever had a string break," Hermione told Harry as she unraveled a long section of thread and carefully secured a needle on each end. She passed one needle to Harry, and set the kit to the side. "So we will both thread them on the same string till its full. If we want it to be longer, we can tie another stand to this one. So you take the needle and carefully push it through the meatiest part of the popcorn. A lot will probably break but that's okay, just toss it in the bowl and find a new piece." Hermione demonstrated how to thread the kernels and pushed it far down the string.

"You want to push them to the middle, It's hard to adjust them when it starts getting full," she instructed as she strung another one.

Harry chose a kernel and tried to copy Hermione's movements. His first four broke, but as he learned something new with each one, he quickly picked up the finesse needed to string the popcorn.

"So tell me: What was your most favorite part of Christmas growing up?" Harry asked as they continued to make their way through the bowl.

Hermione smiled. "Mum loved dressing the tree, and Dad loved Christmas dinner and hanging the lights on the house. But my favorite part was on Christmas Eve. Before bed we would sit by the tree and read "_Twas the Night Before Christmas"_. Some years mum would read it, some years Dad did. When I got old enough, I even read it a couple times. I think I have it memorized by now. It was my favorite because even if we were traveling for the holidays, it was still something we did together," she trailed off, lost in her memories.

Harry swallowed thickly and continued to string. They were quiet for awhile as they worked on their project. When Hermione's side was full, she showed Harry how to tie it off.

"You finish up, I'll go make us some hot chocolate."

She laughed as Harry saluted and put on an extra concentrated face and strung his next kernel successfully. She loved that he made her laugh. She loved that he was interested in learning about her and her family. She loved that he was able to give her space when she needed it. She loved that he cared about her feelings. She loved that he wasn't afraid to apologize. She loved...him. She just loved him.

Hermione froze mid-stir as the thought struck her. The feelings she had buried for her friend had far surpassed the crush she thought she harbored for him.

She loved him.

Merlin almighty, there was no stuffing that cat back into the bag. Hermione tried to calm herself as she tried not to fall to pieces in the kitchen with a kitten mug full of hot chocolate in her hand.

"Hermione? I think I'm done. Did you need help?" Harry called over his shoulder from the couch.

"No! Uh..Nearly done. Be right there!" she said, trying not to sound as panicked as she felt.

She stirred the other cup of cocoa vigorously and managed to calm herself enough to rejoin Harry on the couch.

"Thanks," Harry said as he accepted the hot mug. "So how do we hang this thing on the tree?"

Hermione shook herself and picked up the strand. "Well, it just hangs like garland. It's a little short but I think it will fit the tree. Wanna help me?"

Harry nodded and stood, picking up his end of the string. They walked opposite each other and set the new garland on the branches of their tree. Harry went high while Hermione went low and she ducked under his arms as they passed each other at the back of the tree. Stepping back they admired their handy work once more.

Repeating before, Harry pulled her to his side. "I told you we make a damn good team."

Hermione smiled warmly. "Language," she whispered. Harry just grinned wider.

They finished their coco but were both too tired to stay up for anything else and quickly decided to call it a night. Harry braved the cold to bring in extra wood and stoked the fire once more.

Harry woke some hours later from a nightmare. He sat up jerkily trying to shake off the lingering images the nightmare had brought on. Grasping where he was, he looked to see Hermione curled up on her side of the bed and tried not to wake her. Realizing he was not going to be able to slip back to sleep right away, he slid out of bed and made his way down stairs.

He added wood to the fire and watched the flames dance for awhile. His thoughts turned to his day and he moved to see the Christmas lights blink on the tree. They really had had a blast today. It was hard not to dwell on his feelings for Hermione. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve_. Maybe he should take a chance and just tell her_. Harry played out a few scenarios in his head before he talked himself out of his confession. _What if he lost her because of it?_ was all he could think. After his thoughts swirled, he felt tired enough to head back up to bed, adding another couple logs on the fire for good measure.

Harry tried to be quiet when he slipped back into bed, but Hermione stirred anyway.

"Harry? 'S'wrong?" she murmured groggily.

"Just had a nightmare, its okay now, go back to sleep," he whispered. She clearly wasn't very awake.

She shuffled over to his side of the bed and curled into his side. "S'ok Harry. Safe here," she murmured again; her eyes already closed as her arm came across Harry's middle.

Harry was frozen with his arm closest to Hermione awkwardly raised in the air, unsure as to where he should place it. Giving up he simply put it around her as he had the first morning. "Safe here," he repeated in a whisper. Soon, he too was reclaimed by sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Christmas Eve**

Hermione woke first again that morning. She was once more on Harry's side of the bed, pressed against him. The difference was the fact that it wasn't completely freezing in the room. Hermione peeked up at Harry and found him to still be asleep. He looked completely at peace.

"Do you always watch me sleep?" Harry asked without opening his eyes.

Hermione jumped and slapped his chest lightly. "Prat. How long have you been awake?"

"Not long, I felt you move and could tell you were checking me out," he said with a smile and finally opened his eyes.

"I was not!" Hermione protested, her voice raising a few octaves.

"Mhm, sure."

"Really! I was just...You know what, I think it's time to get up." Hermione made to sit up but Harry held her firm.

"It's Christmas Eve. If ever there was a day for a lie in, this would be it."

"You say that everyday that we don't have a morning commitment. _Hermione, it's Sunday, have a lie in. Hermione, it's your birthday; we should lie in. Hermione, it's the day after Quidditch we should have a lie in._" Hermione mocked in a bad impression of Harry's voice.

"Oi! The day after Quidditch should be a perfect day for a lie in. Anyway, are you saying a lie in doesn't sound good?"

"I'm saying if we're awake why shouldn't we get up and start our day? What good is laying here?" Hermione countered.

Harry had to stop the man part of his brain from saying something suggestive and said instead, "Sometimes it's nice to be still and do nothing."

"If you say so."

"You don't think laying here feels nice?"

Hermione realized the cozy position they are currently in and said quietly, "It does."

They laid there for a few minutes before Hermione's bladder once more protested her staying in bed. When she moved to get up, this time Harry didn't stop her.

When she came back into the room, Harry was gone, so she quickly dressed and made her way downstairs. She found him by the fire, it had somehow made it through the night and Harry was poking at the embers and placing new logs in the grate.

Christmas Eve breakfast consisted of pancakes, eggs, and sausages. When the plates were clear Hermione asked, "What's on the agenda for today?"

"Not sure. We can go back into town if you want. I'm sure there's more to Sleepy Hollow to explore."

Hermione glanced out the window on the way to the living room and stopped dead in her tracks. "Uh, Harry. I don't think we're going into town today."

"What? Why?" he asked as he came up beside her.

Hermione pulled the curtain back more fully and pointed out, "That's why."

Harry looked out the window to see that, over night, they were almost buried in snow. If he were to walk out in it, it probably would have been waist deep easily. Snow had even pushed onto the covered patio and the railing was nowhere to be seen.

"Everyone said they only get a few inches of snow in this area?! How is this even possible?"

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. "I have no idea but I hope this roof is magically reinforced, most muggle houses would be under some serious strain with that much snow."

"You're taking getting snowed in fairly well. Merlin, it's still coming down too!"

"I don't mind the snow. We should bundle up and go play in it. Should be fun. We may need to thaw out by the fire later but I bet we could get a snowman or two built."

Harry stood there, looking uncertainly at the deep blanket of snow and looking back to the encouraging smile of Hermione and said, "Okay. Race you outside!"

He ran to get his boots, scarf, and coat while Hermione was delayed by her gloves. They pushed each other jokingly as they made it to the door and pushed outside onto the back patio.

The snow nearly covered the entire hot tub. Hermione used a nearby shovel to push the snow off the cover to free the weight off it. She then used the shovel to poke near where she remembered the edge of the deck being. Just as she found it in the powdery snow, she saw a blur rush past her and disappear into the mound of fresh snow. A spread eagle, Harry shaped indent in the snow was the only indication the snow had even been disturbed.

"Harry?! You okay?"

"Well," he chuckled, "I'm starting to think that maybe I didn't think this through all the way. I might be stuck."

"Move your arms and legs like your doing a jumping jack. It will either pack the snow around you so you can stand up or it will topple the snow above you and bury you."

"That doesn't sound like a good idea."

Hermione laughed. "Well, I've never made such an extreme snow angel before!"

A moment later Hermione heard the slight crunching of snow being moved. Just when she thought it was going to work, the edges of the Harry cut out in the snow collapsed around the edges.

Harry stood a moment later, he was dusted in snow from head to toe. His hair was white with frost and he looked happy but gave Hermione a less than pleased look, "I guess now we know. Extreme snow angels do not hold up."

They both laughed and Hermione shrieked when Harry shook the snow from his hair, flinging little pieces of slush in all directions. They played in the snow, took a sled down the hill, had snowball fights, and built snowmen until their hands were practically blue. When it was too cold to continue, they made their way inside to warm up.

Feeling the warmth from inside hit them, they realized just how cold they were. Hermione began stripping off her snow damp clothes and hung them on the rack by the door. Harry Followed Hermione's lead and pulled off his coat, jumper, boots, socks, and scarf. Feeling any more would be _improper,_ they went upstairs to take turns changing into warm, dry clothes.

When they had warmed up from their morning fun, Hermione made them some sandwiches for lunch. She may not be a great chef, but she was perfectly capable of putting together a great sandwich.

Being in the kitchen with Hermione had given Harry an idea. He offered to teach her how to make Christmas biscuits from scratch. She accepted and after lunch they mixed, rolled, and cut out various festive shapes from the dough. While those baked and cooled they made up a batch of icing, separated it, and dyed it different colors.

Once they cookies cooled, they spent their time decorating the little Christmas trees, santa hats, and candy canes.

They talked about Hermione's memories of doing some of these things with her parents. They talked about school, and the repairs that still needed to be done. They talked about their friends and teachers. They even managed to discuss Ron and Ginny.

After dinner found them on the couch, Hermione was sitting up with her feet stretched out towards the fire, and Harry was laid out on the couch beside her with his head in her lap.

"Okay, okay. So, let's hear it. It's Christmas Eve, and nearly bedtime. Time for the story," Harry said gleefully.

"We don't have to do the story…"

"Of course we do. I've never heard it all the way through. What better time than when I have a seasoned storyteller here to tell it?" Harry encouraged.

"Alright. 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…" Hermione settled into the story as she ran her fingers through Harry's raven hair, savoring the feel of his silky locks.

Harry sighed in contentment as he listened to the poem.

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" she finished in her best Santa Claus voice, making Harry chuckle.

"That was amazing."

Hermione blushed. "Something my memory is good for. It really feels like Christmas now."

"Yeah, it really does," Harry agreed, looking up at her. "Is this where we set out biscuits for Santa?"

"That _would _be the traditional thing to do."

Harry got up went to the kitchen. When he returned he had a plate of biscuits they had decorated and a small glass of milk. Hermione had to smile at the eagerness of his expression, it was like a little boy. He sat beside her, his arm brushing hers as he offered her the plate.

"He'll probably have enough cookies, you want some?"

Hermione eyed the plate and carefully selected a blue and white candy cane shaped biscuit (one of Harry's creations.) "Yes, please. Thank you."

Harry chose his own shape, a Christmas tree Hermione had decorated, and set the plate on the coffee table. When the biscuits were gone and crumbs were brushed away, Harry took Hermione's hand, blushing slightly. "I had a lot of fun today. Thank you for coming with me on this holiday and making it so special even though it was hard on you."

Hermione smiled and squeezed his hand gently. "No, thank _you _Harry. I was perfectly ready to mope the entire season. You helped me realize that thinking about my parents didn't have to be all bad. Am I sad I couldn't see them? Of course. But getting to be here with you has been amazing. Thank you for planning this trip for us."

Harry returned her smile. "Anything for you Hermione."

In that moment, as they looked into each other's eyes, the fire light dancing around them, the twinkling lights of the tree, the magic of the room was inescapable. In the years to come, they never could agree who started it. Harry would say he finally gave in because of the pool of love he saw filling her chocolate brown eyes. Hermione would say it was her because he helped her remember the joy of the holidays, of being with family. Whoever was right, the tingle they felt as their lips met, and they shared a Christmas kiss, would inspire their love for years to come.

Harry carefully pulled Hermione closer; not forcing but inviting her closer to him and into his lap. Hermione responded by wrapping her hands around him, sinking her fingers into his inky black hair and pulling him into a deeper kiss. It truly was a magical first kiss.

They finally broke for air, parting just far enough for breath, resting their foreheads together as they let the moment linger.

"This seems as good of a time to tell you as any...but I've loved you since we were thirteen," Harry admitted in a voice just over a whisper.

"You know what?" Hermione whispered back, as her face split into a wide smile. "That's just perfect, because I love you too."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"_Really_."

Harry kissed her again, slowly, savoring the feel of her lips on his. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I was worried you'd hate me when you found out and stop being my friend, and I couldn't bear to lose you."

"You'll never lose me, Harry," Hermione promised.

They cuddled on the couch a bit longer before Harry asked, "Hermione, will you be my girlfriend?"

Hermione pretended to think about it and chuckled. "Of course, Harry."

Harry grinned and murmured, "Just wanted it to be official." They snogged on the couch for a while to make up for lost time before calling it a night and heading up to bed.

Instead of waking up accidentally in each other's arms, that was how they fell asleep. Hermione curled into Harry's side with her leg tangled with his. Her hand laid lightly over his heart as they both drifted off to dreamland.

**Christmas Day**

Harry woke excited the next morning. It was finally Christmas! He practically lept from bed and rushed to the shower. When he got back he was fully dressed but Hermione was still sleeping on the bed.

He grabbed his bag and crept downstairs. He pulled two gifts wrapped in gold colored wrapping paper with bright red bows out and slid them under the tree. He stoked the fire and started making breakfast. When he was done and Hermione had still not shown, he loaded a tray and decided to take it upstairs to surprise her.

The smell of food seemed to entice her awake as Harry came into the room.

"Morning, 'Mi. Come on sleepy head! It's Christmas!"

Hermione smiled as she stretched leisurely. "That smells fantastic."

Harry grinned as he slipped back onto the bed with the tray. They enjoyed breakfast in bed and when they were done, raced downstairs to open presents.

Harry tore the paper off the one Hermione had handed him. It was a planner like the one she had given him in their OWL year, only this one was made for their NEWT studies. He chucked at her persistence and promised to really use it this time.

Hermione pulled the paper off her first gift and smiled, it was a book on the history of house elves.

"I thought if you were still persuing elf rights, it might come in useful. There aren't many books like it out there, that one took me weeks to get my hands on."

Hermione gave him a quick kiss. "It's perfect. I can't wait to read it."

Harry took his second present and he passed Hermione her other gift. "Together?" he offered.

"Together," she agreed.

They ripped off the wrappings in sync. Harry had received a stack of photos, as he made his way through them he saw they were of him and their friends. Some of just various friends, a couple of the Weasley family. They were all wizarding photos and the people in them all beamed and waved up at him. When he looked up and saw Hermione examining the necklace he had made her.

"That's the DA coin, I shrank it by half and the chain is goblin made. I was able to add an addition feature too." He reached over, pressed a spot on the side and it clicked open. Inside held a tiny photo of her parents on one side and a tiny photo of him on the other.

"It's a locket too," Hermione whispered as she looked closely at the pictures. "How on earth did you get a picture of my parents to use for this?"

Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, I may have used Dumbledore old pensive and a camera. I used the time I met them in Diagon Alley before second year. The rest was done by the shop I bought the chain from. When I showed them the coin, they sized the pictures for me."

Hermione tackled him in a hug. "This is the most amazing present, Harry! I love it. Can you put it on me?"

Harry chuckled from beneath her. "Of course, You'll need to let me up for that though."

When they righted themselves, Hermione kissed him and held her hair out of the way while he fastened the tiny clasp on the thin chain.

She scooped up the pictures she had developed for him. "These are for the empty pages of the album Hadrid got for you. I know the first part is full of your parents, but I thought you might want some pictures of your friends from Hogwarts to remember. We graduate soon after all."

"They're perfect. I'll add them straight away when we get back."

The rest of Christmas day was spent either by the fire or in the kitchen. Since Harry was only cooking for the two of them, he didn't want to go overboard, and the snow was too thick to even consider going over to the neighbors to invite them. In the end, Harry made a miniature version of a traditional Christmas dinner, which thrilled Hermione. She had helped where she could, chopping vegetables and stirring sauces, but she mostly just kept out of Harry's way.

Dinner was amazing and when they found themselves back on the couch later that night Harry pouted that their trip would soon be coming to an end. "We should have taken off the whole break, I don't see why we need to be in Britain for New Years any way."

Hermione sighed. "We promised George we would be there for the firework show. It's going to be the opening of the new branch of the joke shop. Grand opening and a sponsored firework show at midnight in Hogsmeade. It's a big deal for them."

"I know. I'm just liking it here," he murmured as he pulled her closer.

"Me too."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Harry."


	5. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The rest of their holiday passed much too quickly for their tastes. They did in fact brave the cold to experience the hot tub. It was bizarre to have your body be so warm and your head be so cold.

When the snow had died down the day before their portkey left, they took the snowmobile over to the Tremblay's to say goodbye and thank them again for their hospitality. Martin and Charlotte were sad to see them go before New Years but understood they had other commitments. It didn't prevent Charlotte from trying to send them off with more cookies though.

The portkey they had would take them directly to from the cabin to the customs station at the British Ministry, so Hermione was thrilled she wouldn't have to take another terrifying flight. Hermione had grinned when Harry tried to convince her to take one anyway, but held to her belief that her feet should stay firmly on the ground.

When the made their way back to Hogwarts, Hermione was happy to have her wand back in hand, but found herself missing the quiet of the cabin. The New Years Eve party in Hogsmeade was huge. There was an amazing turn out. The Three Broomsticks was packed and the main street was full of people young and old. The fireworks at midnight went off without a hitch and profits for Weasley Wizard Wheezes were through the roof. Their kiss at midnight pretty much blew any hope of keeping their transition to a couple on the down low, as it was long and quite passionate.

They wrote a huge thank you letter to the Shacklebolts and sent them each a gift for letting them spend their holiday in that lovely cabin. They still have not discovered Mrs Shacklebolt's first name.

Everyone, including _all _of the Weasleys, took the news that Harry and Hermione were a couple exceedingly well. Some were even confused and asked, "Were you not before break?" much to the couples chagrin.

The team that Kingsley had sent out to find Hermione's parents, located them just a few months later. Harry and Hermione were able to use the Easter holidays to go and set her parents right.

There were some bridges that needed mending. Her parents were horrified she had made the choice to use magic to completely alter their lives without even talking to them about it. Terrified their daughter had fought in a war. Relieved/confused to have her back. And at a loss as to where to go next. They spent the week just catching up and sorting out their affairs.

They were unable to return with Harry and Hermione when that had to go back to school, but promised to come back as soon as they could sell the practice they had built in Australia. They did keep the house though, as they had fallen in love with the beaches.

Harry ended up surprising her by getting her parents home in time for graduation. He had called and found the only thing delaying their return was having a place to stay, the renters in their old house had a lease for another month. So, Harry spent a few weekends cleaning out Grimmauld Place for them to use while they waited for their house to be empty.

Hermione had cried when she caught sight of her parents at the Hogsmeade dock as she and the other graduating students arrived in the little boats from first year from across the lake.

The next Christmas was spent in the Granger home. Harry got to experience first hand the traditions Hermione had told him about back in the cabin. He even got to cross off the last few things on his list.

The best part of that Christmas was when he got down on one knee and asked Hermione to be his wife and she said yes!

Christmas became an especially treasured time in their home through the years. The tree topper they bought that year at the cabin always brought a smile to their face when they dressed the tree and placed it on top. They raised their children with a deep love for the holidays. Many Christmases passed, but they never forgot that _first _Christmas. Every few years, they would beg Mrs. Shacklebolt for the use of her Sleepy Hollow cabin, for it had a magic all its own.

* * *

AN: Just in case anyone wants Harry's Muffin recipe, here it is (I make these every year. My family LOVES them)

Ingredients

Streusel topping:  
2 Tbsp light brown sugar  
2 Tbsp granulated sugar  
3/4 tsp cinnamon  
3/4 C all purpose flour  
1/4 C unsalted butter melted

Muffins:  
1/2 C unsalted butter softened  
1/2 C granulated sugar  
1/2 C light brown sugar  
2 Large eggs  
1 tsp vanilla extract  
1 C pumpkin puree  
1/4 tsp salt  
1 tsp baking soda  
1/2 tsp baking powder  
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon  
1/2 tsp all spice  
Pinch ground cloves  
2 C all purpose flour

*Optional**Glaze*:  
6 Tbsp powdered sugar  
1 Tbsp milk  
1 Tsp vanilla extract

Instructions  
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with liners.  
In a medium bowl, combine streusel ingredients. When fully combined, transfer to a baking sheet to break up chunks into no larger than pea size.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars. Mix in egg, vanilla, and pumpkin until smooth.  
Combine remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl, stir lightly with a whisk to aerate flour.  
Add dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until no streaks remain.  
Immediately divide between prepared liners using a large cookie scoop. Sprinkle well with streusel mixture.  
Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Optional vanilla glaze: beat together powdered sugar and milk. stir in vanilla. Drizzle over cooled muffins.

Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container.


End file.
